


Sunrise

by rulesofthebeneath (radishphilosophy)



Series: Butterflies [2]
Category: Choices: High School Story: Class Act (Visual Novel)
Genre: F/M, Fluff, General Sibling Teasing, Texting, radically inconsistent texting styles
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-04-25
Updated: 2019-04-25
Packaged: 2020-01-31 19:33:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18597958
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radishphilosophy/pseuds/rulesofthebeneath
Summary: Original story about what would've happened the night/weekend after that diamond scene. Follow-up to Here Goes Nothing, but can stand alone.





	Sunrise

Ajay’s kiss felt like a little candle in her chest, casting a soft glow on everything around it. Grace smiled against his lips, chasing the way he tasted like the pancakes her father had made, and a bit like a strawberry milkshake. When they separated again, Ajay took a moment just to beam at her, keeping them only inches apart. Then he sat back a little further, not quite yet relinquishing her hands but retreating back into a separate space.

 

Neither of them said anything for a few moments, but Ajay spoke up after a little while.

 

“Well, as much as I’d like to uh, never stop doing this, I told my mom I’d be home by 12:30 so I really do have to go,” he said, a small blush crawling up his cheeks.

 

“Oh! Okay! Yeah! Cool!” Grace stuttered, brought sharply back to reality. “I’m getting a bit tired too.”

 

Ajay raised her hand to his lips and kissed it softly. “Goodnight, Grace.”

 

“Goodnight,” Grace echoed as she left his car and stepped into the chilly night air. She felt dazed, like the world had gone soft and gentle and she was just being carried along. She began the short walk home, hands tucked into the front pockets of her jacket.

 

***

Ajay sat in the car for a second, equally not with it and feeling a little giddy. He rested his forehead on the steering wheel for a moment, reflecting on the night’s events. An amazing performance, a large check presented to Mrs. Silva, a fun night playing theatre games and eating amazing pancakes, then his confession. He was lying to himself if he said he hadn’t been terrified- is there anything more dangerous than putting your heart on the line like that? But, in Grace’s words, it had paid off. Really, really paid off.

 

He smiled to himself. A touch cynical, he had dived headfirst into this only expecting the worst- that she didn’t feel the same way he did, that she’d fallen for Rory, that she’d rather be friends. Instead, it was like he got the best case scenario. Not only did she feel the same way, but when they had kissed…

 

He only had one word for it.  _ Magical. _ He was by no means a romantic, but the word just fit.  _ Man, this girl’s already changed me  _ he thought, finding himself just a little more emotional than he expected. He shook his head, then shifted his car into drive to go home. 

***

 

Grace closed the front door behind her and leaned against it for a second, her mind rushing through everything that had happened that day. The play, her first kiss during the show, the cast party, then talking to Ajay and having her first  _ real _ kiss…  _ what an amazing day _ Grace thought. She stepped into the kitchen, trying to mask her flustered grin. She wasn’t quite ready to share this with her family, not yet.

“Hey, can I help with cleanup?”

 

Her mother turned around. “Oh, no sweetie! Don’t worry about it, we did this for you. Just go on up to bed, it’s getting really late.”

 

Grace moved to give her mom a hug. “Thank you so much for the party, it was great.”

 

“You’re welcome, sweetie. Goodnight!”

 

Her dad piped up from over by the sink where he was washing dishes. “Goodnight, kiddo!”

 

“Goodnight!” Grace turned and climbed the stairs, then went down the hall and into her room to flop on the bed.  _ James must have already gone to bed, _ she thought. She was a little relieved that she wouldn’t have to talk to him about this until morning. Her twin brother was great, but she didn't want to have to go into the whole story. Still, she was dying to tell  _ someone _ , so she grabbed her phone and typed a quick text to Erin.

 

Grace: ERIN!

 

Erin: GRACE?

 

Grace: AJAY LIKES ME :D

 

Erin: !!!!!

 

***

Across town, Erin smiled down at her phone. She assumed from the text’s wording (no question mark, the happy face) that Ajay had gone through with his plan. Over the last few weeks, Erin had really enjoyed watching Grace and Ajay fall for each other. 

 

After the play, she’d stayed to help Ajay and the techs with the cleanup. The real strike would be after school Monday, but they’d wanted to get at least some things put away before the cast party. She had been sequestered to the dressing room and was folding up the costumes, putting them in boxes for later use. She was folding up Grace’s dress- really, a masterpiece from Sydney- when Ajay burst into the room and closed the door behind him, bracing himself on the table and breathing just a little too quickly.

 

Erin put the dress in a box, then crossed over to him, sitting at the table where he stood. 

 

“What’s up?”

 

“Erin,” he started, eyes a little wild when he looked up at her. “I’m going to do it.”

 

She scrunched her eyebrows, putting on an air of mock confusion. “Do what?”

 

“I’m going to… tell her. Tell Grace. How I feel. That I like her.”

 

Erin put a hand up to cover her smile. “Ajay! That’s so great! What are you going to say?”

 

Ajay breathed in and out again, then almost forcibly relaxed, taking the seat opposite her.

 

“That’s where I find myself stuck.” he sighed. “I messed up so much the last time I tried to tell someone how I felt and I really, really would rather not mess up this time.”

 

“Just speak from the heart? Be honest with her, and straightforward.”

 

“Straightforward? Honest? Speak from the  _ heart _ ? How the hell am I supposed to know how I feel? It’s all…” he trailed off, gesturing wildly, “...  _ confusing _ in there!”

 

Erin didn’t even bother to stifle her giggle, thoroughly entertained. She’d known Ajay for awhile and had never seen him so inarticulate.

 

“You could start by not stressing out so much about this. I don’t think you can go wrong, knowing the way she feels.”

 

“The way  _ she  _ feels?” Ajay flushed.

 

_ Shit _ , Erin thought.  _ I shouldn’t have said that. _

 

“Ah, well… you know. All I’m saying is… trust me, Ajay, it’s going to be very hard for you to get this wrong.”

 

Ajay smiled softly. “You think so?”

 

“I know so,” Erin reassured him. “Now come on, let’s go to the party.”

 

Erin came back to the present, after recounting the memory. 

 

Erin: What did he say??? Tell me everything!!

 

Grace: !!!! I walked him out to his car after the party ended and we started talking. He said he thought about us being a couple, and he got really nervous and said I was passionate and sweet and that he likes me!!!!!! AS MORE THAN A FRIEND!!!!!

 

Erin: !!!!!!! That’s so cute! 

 

Grace: AND WE KISSED TOO!!! So it’s like today I had my first kiss ever with Rory during the play, and then I had my first REAL kiss too!! 

 

Erin: Wow!! I’m so happy for you, Gracie. Talk more tomorrow? I need my beauty sleep.

 

Grace: Yes! Goodnight!

 

Grace set her phone down on her nightstand and kicked her legs against her mattress just a bit, unable to contain all the happiness in her body. After a while, she settled down to sleep with Ajay’s smile still in the back of her mind, the warmth of his hands, the memory of feeling his lips against hers.

***

The next morning, Grace was having breakfast at the kitchen table when her phone buzzed.

 

Ajay: Good morning

 

_ Awww, _ she thought.

 

Grace: Hi! 

 

Ajay: How are you doing?

 

Grace: Really good!! Still not sure if last night was a dream or not :)

 

Ajay: Ah, no. Not a dream. Better :)

 

Grace nearly swooned upon reading that text, instead she let out an audible “Awwww” that prompted her brother, James, to lean over and try to read over her shoulder. She snatched her phone away before he got too close.

 

“Who are you  _ texting _ ?”

 

“Wouldn’t you like to know,” Grace retorted, turning the back of her phone to him to type her reply. She found that she didn’t actually know what to say to Ajay’s text, though. She pondered it for a few minutes, then gave up.

 

Grace: 👀

 

Ajay: Please stop.

 

Grace: 👀 👀 👀

 

Ajay: Anyways.

Ajay: Do you want to go out today?

 

Grace’s eyes widened as she read the message.

 

_ Oh my god, like a date? Is he asking me out on a date? Oh my god. _

 

Grace set her phone down and stared at her cereal, prompting another confused look from James.

 

“No seriously, who are you texting and  _ what did they just say? _ ”

 

“Never you mind!” Grace blurted, blushing. And at that moment, she realized.  _ Oh, darn. I’ve just given him a big weapon. _

 

James’ face lit up with excitement. “Oh my god are you texting  _ AJAY?”  _ he yelled.

 

“MAYBE I AM, WHAT ABOUT IT?” Grace yelled back. “ARE YOU OR ARE YOU NOT GOING OUT WITH MY BEST FRIEND??”

 

James flushed, but kept his head on. “Maybe I am, but I don’t see what that has to do you and Ajay disappearing from the cast party for like half an hour last night. Or was I not supposed to notice that?”

 

“Oh, my god, JAMES,  _ SHUT UP!” _ Grace screeched, then dove for her phone and quickly wrote a text, face burning.

 

Grace: u mean like a daaaaaaaaaaate??? 👀

 

Ajay: That’s entirely too many As. 

 

Ajay: And yes, like a date. Bowling and pizza?

 

Grace: Yes!! When?

 

Ajay: I’ll come to pick you up at 3 so we can beat the crowds.

Grace: ! Ok!! See you then!!!

 

Grace set her phone down on the table as her parents sat down at the table with their bowls of cereal, having come in just a moment ago. Face red, she turned to them and made an announcement.

 

“I have a DATE today,” she said, “with Ajay.”

 

“Heck yeah!” James offered a high five, which she accepted after rolling her eyes. Her father raised an eyebrow.

 

“Who is that now? That kid with the classes and the blazer?”

 

“Yeah, dad. He was the director of the play.”

 

“Oh, that’s great, sweetie!” her mom smiled. “I saw the way he looked at you at the party, I wondered if he was going to ask you out. He seems like a nice young man.”

 

“Mom…” Grace ducked her head, embarrassed. To her left, James snickered.

 

“You know,” Grace said, looking back up. “James has a date today too.”

 

James dropped his fork and hissed, “ _ Grace!” _

 

Grace just smiled as the sun shone through the windows and her family cheerfully chatted, forseeing some great times in this new day.

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading!! Let me know what you think.


End file.
